Lack of Practice

Last weekend, a few friends and I hosted the Second Annual Zombie Fry, a weekend event full of shooting drills and practical classes. I will post a larger AAR later, but for right now I want to talk about me.
I have not been shooting as much as I like, and as a result, my dryfire has fallen off as well. It was very evident this weekend that my skills had slipped. Sure, I had a great time, and even learned a few lessons. However, I was not happy with myself in any way.



Here is one of the stages we shot. Start at 7 yards, draw and engage 4 steel targets with two rounds each. Run 75 yards back to your rifle, and engage the same 4 targets again.

This stage is awesome, you are able to get your heart rate going with the run, and we intentionally did not paint the steel, this made them harder to pickup in the background.

But you notice that my pistol handling looks slow. When it came to the rifle, I didn't get it loaded and into service quick enough (granted you missed my sudden slide into my rifle after the run). All things that are easily remedied by practice and dry fire.

It's time to get back on the training. I have let myself go. Will you help me hold myself accountable?

The Man in The Arena

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

Haiti, Part II, What Lessons Can We Learn?

So there is looting going on in Haiti, perhaps the dead are the lucky ones. People are living in glorified camps, protected from the weather only by bedsheets. People are being raped, murdered or even worse. Help is slowly arriving, from countries all over the world. The desire of good people to help is staggering, and restores my faith that most people are basically good.
But the situation also shows how tenable society is, and how quickly it can break down into lawlessness. What? It can't happen here? What about Katrina?
So what is the solution? Why being prepared of course. Here are a few things to think about.
1) Do you have 72 hour bags for you and your loved ones? Are they easy to grab when you need to leave in a hurry?
2) Do you keep your vehicles fueled up? Or do they get parked in the driveway with an 1/8 tank of fuel because you didn't want to spend the extra money? If you think about it, it's gasoline, it won't go to waste and you are going to use it anyways. I try and fill up when I reach a half tank.
3) Do you have flashlights stationed at strategic points around the house? I am bad for this one, simply because my son likes to play with them and drain all the batteries.
4) Food and water. How much do you have? How much can you grab in a hurry if you have to leave? Do you have a way to purify water when you no longer have clean water at your disposal? Without these things you will die. I am not saying that everyone needs a years worth of food and thirty days worth of water, but it would be nice.
5) Most importantly, do you have a plan for getting your family out of the house and to safety? Do all of your loved ones know this plan?

I would like people to think about the simple things that they can do to make life better for themselves in a natural disaster. Simply because you are responsible for yourself and your loved ones. Natural disasters happen everywhere, and most can be truly devastating. From tornadoes to earthquakes, all have the power to destroy things. Being prepared can help mitigate the loss.
A Quote from a Yahoo news story:
"We need so much. Food, clothes, we need everything. I don't know whose responsibility it is, but they need to give us something soon," said Sophia Eltime, a 29-year-old mother of two who has been living under a bedsheet with seven members of her extended family.
This really chaps my hide, whose responsibility is it? YOURS! I understand that you live in the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, that is no excuse. Sitting around starving to death while you wait for somebody else to save you is no excuse. I am all for helping the victims, I am all for saving peoples lives, I am all for rebuilding Haiti. I am NOT for setting up another welfare mindset where people feel that they are entitled to something for nothing.
In conclusion, I feel that alot of this distress could have been avoided had people just been prepared. If most of them had three days worth of food, extra clothing, and other essential items, they would have been better off than they are now. Perhaps it may have even saved lives.

I Have Been Moved

Watch this, twenty minutes of Mike Rowe talking about work. It is worth every bit of that. Wow.

See what I mean? Wow.
Here is where it came from.

No Really, It Can Happen Here Too.

Following my last post on Caladonia, there comes a self defense story from Oklahoma City. I am kind of late getting in on it, Jay G has reported it, Extrano's Alley covered it, and the actual story with the 911 tape can be found here.


One evening, Donna Jackson is relaxing at home when someone tries to break into her home. She calls 911 and calmly informs the dispatcher of the situation. The dispatcher repeatedly tells her that the police are on the way. You can hear the dispatcher informing the officers of all the updated information. Mrs. Jackson stays calm, loads her shotgun as he gets closer. You hear more banging as he tries to get in. For TEN MINUTES and TWENTY SECONDS, she stays on the line with dispatch. She prepares herself for what is going to happen, knowing that her only option will be to use deadly force to defend herself. Finally, he breaks in and she shoots him once with a shotgun. It takes another FIFTEEN minutes for the police to arrive.
Only then, does the woman who has been so calm throughout the ordeal begin to fall apart.

"I shot. I shot,” Jackson tells the dispatcher frantically. "I’m going out front. I hit him. Oh God, help me! I dropped the phone. ... Oh please, dear God, I think I’ve killed him.”

As the reality sinks in, her voice fades to a whisper, "Please, Father in Heaven. Please, Father in Heaven. Oh my God, ma’am. Please.”

And she begins to sob, "I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

The dispatcher on the other end of the line tries to comfort her, telling her there was nothing she could have done — she had to protect herself.

"No, he’s bleeding,” Jackson said, looking at the body on her back porch. "I’m so sorry, Father.”

So for TWENTYFIVE minutes this poor lady went thru the worst ordeal of her life, because the police were not there to protect here, nor are they legally obligated to.

What are the good points to this horrible ordeal? She had a plan, she prepared herself to do what she had to. She had large dogs that did their job and alerted her to the threat. She was calm until after she shot, and she was aware of what was going on around her.

She is one tough lady, my heart goes out to her, but she did the right thing.

Here is the best advice I can give to anyone:

Get a gun, learn to use it, and use it if you have to.

While you are at it, get a four legged alarm system. Because alarm companies call 911 - and cost more than dog food.

thanks to Extrano's Alley for the quote.

Perishable Skills

I have a confession to make. I cannot recall the last time I dry fired. It has been months since I shot a pistol match. It has been weeks since I pulled a trigger. I am getting rusty, I can blame most of this on my elbow injury (next time I'm not dodging), but it's a lie. I can blame it on Mrs. Sigboy's work schedule, but she feels that should her job holds a higher priority than my shooting.

Either way I need to rectify this problem. So my plan is simple, just like keeping the mind and body sharp, I need to do something everyday. Nothing carried away, things like dry firing, drawing, firing positions. Something every day. Just like working out, even though most days it is just stretching and some push-ups.

So what do you think? Any ideas to improve this and make it more successful?

Traffic Stops Made Easy

Recently I was pulled over by the police. What did I do, you ask? I ran a red light, or so he said. I told him it was orange. Did I get a ticket? No. Did I deserve one? Probably.

I can't remember the last time I had to pay a ticket. I would say that I get pulled over about 3 times a year. I'm probably going to jinx myself now, but I generally get out of them. Why? I don't think it is because of my witty charm and stunning good looks. I make the officer feel comfortable. He is just doing his job.

Step 1- Pull over immediately, and get all the way off the road. If he has to chase you, or feels like he is chasing you, it will not end well.

Step 2- Have your paperwork ready, and keep your hands vi sable, shut the car off and keep your seat belt on. No I don't care that it is 110 or -20, do it, he will know your not going to run.

Step 3- Be respectful, use Sir or Ma'am. Remember, he is just doing his job, and when he isn't writing tickets, he is protecting society (that means you as well).

Step 4- Take responsibility for your actions. You know what you did, and you know that you got caught. Don't make up some BS story. He gets lied to all day. He will know when you are lying, and you will pay for it.

Step 5- If you happen to get a ticket anyways, say 'Thank you'. He doesn't hear that enough, trust me. He has seen things that most people can't even imagine. He makes the world a better place. A ticket is a small price to pay for this comfort.

Finally, if you feel that you didn't deserve the ticket, fight it in court, not on the street. It is your right as a citizen of this great Country to do so, and besides, he might welcome the OT. But, if you follow steps one thru four, I doubt you will be getting a ticket. It works for me, and when I finally get one, I will pay it with a smile.

Don't Shoot the Hostage!

Tbolt had a post about hostage targets.He also wondered why anybody in their right mind would want to take this shot. In a previous life, I thought about this shot alot, and I always mentally prepared myself for taking it.

Back when the shooting range was my back yard, I used to practice this shot. I would walk purposefully around the corner of my barn, draw my pistol and shoot the bad guy (in the head) at about ten yards. Average time was about 1.5 seconds.

Do not misunderstand me, I NEVER want to take this shot for real, but I WILL. I have trained for it, I know that I can do it. I will take this shot to protect someone that I care for, friends and family alike. If I consider it to be my responsibility to protect you, I will take this shot for you.

Another Lifetime, Part 1.

The desert air was still as I watched the full moon rise thru the windshield of my patrol car. The road in front of me was barren as I sat parked behind a Juniper bush, I was absently filling out a report from the last call. A red Honda Civic drove past, a small part of my subconscious tugged at me as I eased the cruiser out onto the road. I followed unassumingly behind them as I called the license into dispatch. It was no surprise when the car came back as stolen. The suspect was wanted for a list of other crimes. He was a white male, early thirties, 5'8", muscular build, blond hair, flat top. Think white supremacist without the tattoo's.

I turned on the red and blues, the little Honda in front of me lit up by the strobe lights like a psychotic chase scene in a bad zombie movie. Almost predictably, the chase was on, the little car attempted to speed away, it's acceleration was no match for the big V8 in my cruiser and I easily kept pace as I called for backup and started calling streets and directions into the microphone. The siren wailed into the broken stillness of the night as the chase started to head back into town. I knew that the danger was going to increase as more innocent lives came into the risk that this chase was creating.


Suddenly the car came to a halt and I saw the suspect flee on foot out of the passenger side of the vehicle. Across the desert he ran. I quickly bailed out of the cruiser and pursued him. I knew, or perhaps hoped, that backup was close behind. I kept calling my location into the radio; I now had a choice to make, flashlight or pistol? This choice would prove to be the most important out of all made that night. I chose to draw my pistol as I pursued him. I dodged cactus and creosote bushes as I started to close the distance. He had made a mistake when he chose to run from me. I loved to run, and I really loved chasing bad guys. My lungs were starting to find a rhythm as my belt and vest sought to slow me down. Not tonight, tonight my only goal was too put my cuffs on this guy. Soon we would be crossing another road and I started coordinating the backup on that road. I heard the sirens in the distance and knew that I would not be alone for long. I continued shouting commands at the subject.

"Stop, police!" But these commands were to no avail. I saw the road, 50 yards ahead, I saw headlights, but no flashing lights. I put on a final burst of speed as I caught up to my suspect. I shoved my pistol into his holster as we hit the edge of the road. I reached out and grabbed his arm as we collided with the vehicle. I remember putting him into an arm bar as we slid onto the hood and the car started to pull away. I briefly noticed the red paint as I went for a rear wrist lock. The move failed and we continued to fight on the hood of the car. The vehicle made a sudden turn and I rolled on the hood, the suspects arm was torn out of my grasp by the force as I lost my balance and fell of the hood, my body bouncing down the side of the car.

I felt my pistol hit the car and get hooked on something. I remember the distinct clatter it made when it hit the ground. Decision time again, secure my weapon or chase down the suspect? I looked up at the car and saw that it was the one I had chased earlier. I saw the suspect climb in thru an open window. It was crunch time.

What do you do? A choice has to be made here. What is yours?
Part 2 will published on Wednesday, when you will discover what I did.

Wasted Braincells?

I have alot of skill sets that don't get used anymore. I no longer am required to get a dragon missile into action in less than thirty seconds. I no longer have to perform a field sobriety test, much less at night with flashing lights all around me. I will probably never set off another claymore mine. I don't even have to remember what the pinky thumb thing is all about. Or even to double lock handcuffs(yes, there is two locks on them). I remember exactly what to do if I ever became a 'hung jumper'. All of this knowledge is all but useless to me, and yet I still know it.


I pulled out my Army Field manual the other day and started thumbing thru it. I still remembered exactly how these tasks were to be performed. I am positive that I am still proficient at them all. Not an expert, able to do it blindfolded, but definitely acceptable. I could put a claymore mine into action without blowing myself up, always a useful skill set.

My point is this: When you train to the point that your subconscious and muscle memory take over, you will be able to perform those actions for the rest of your life. I had the opportunity a few weeks ago to put a drunken neighbor into a rear wrist lock, I did it with out thinking, I haven't even practiced one in years. I personally have many well rounded and yet useless skill sets using perfectly good neural pathways in my brain. Would I get rid of them if I could? Probably not. Good quality training is priceless, even if you are not currently using it. After all, the zombies may come, or, I may have a need to protect myself from a nuclear blast or a chemical weapons attack.

'That' Shot

Don't you enjoy it when all of your time and effort pays off? When all the time you spent at the range translates into one perfect shot. I'm not talking about just any shot. I'm speaking of the one that all your buddies will be speaking about for years.

I have had several of those shots, I am not a braggart, most of the time I attribute them to luck. Today I was pondering my first of 'those' shots. I was about 14 years old and we were hunting in Central California. I was taking a break from the big game hunting. I had a little 22 auto pistol and was plinking a ground squirrels about 50 yards away. I really wasn't doing much more than pestering them. The dirt and dust was being kicked up and the squad of squirrels were looking at each other with befuddlement. I was steadily advancing up to about 15 yards. I reloaded my pistol and commenced to terminating the long tailed varmints. Suddenly there was only one remaining. He looked around at his slain partners...and charged. His mouth was agape and a scream of vengeful fury past his lips.

The men all stood behind me, laughing and pointing as the squirrel barreled toward me. I quickly debated my options, do I run in fear? Do I spray and pray? No, I calmly raise the pistol and fire one hastily aimed shot before the beast had opportunity to tip the scales in his favor. I see the bullet impact and lift the fury critter off the ground. He completes one full somersault before he lays there, still and motionless, peacefully asleep, excepting his lack of a head.

I would like to tell you that I was the hero of camp that night, however it would be a lie. The story is still told, so many years later, the squirrel gets further away every year. Some years the animal ends up at the foot of my boot, desperately clawing for it's revenge. The story actually happened how I tell it here and nothing more.

Th point is the shot itself. When you see the path of the bullet in your minds eye and make it happen. To me it is a surreal moment, one that you constantly train for and only seldom makes an appearance.

It's The Shooter, Not The Gun

Last Saturday I was at a practical pistol match in the Texas Panhandle, I was shooting my STI with my USPSA gear on. This match is kind of a hodgepodge of guns and gear. Some shoot to IDPA standards, some shoot to USPSA standards, there are some that come and shoot only to their own standards. All come and shoot to have fun.
One gentleman was complaining about being to slow with his revolver. As most know, I, am a giver. So, I graciously offered to trade gear with him. He refused, stating that it was his decision to be slow. I respect that, but it got me thinking? What is the time difference in the different pistol classes? My opinion? The answer is simple, reload time. All things being equal the only serious difference is the time it takes to reload.
Now, you may berate me all that you wish, but my USPSA classification percentages are within 2% of each other for all of my classified divisions. It's all about trigger time. It doesn't matter what your doing, as long as you are pulling a trigger. Yes, I know that a SIG is not a 1911, but I shoot both equally as well. Yes, my split times are slower with my SIG, but not by much. Yes that first round double action is a pain in the butt, try a steady pull and looking at the sights. My point is this, you shoot to your capability regardless of what you are shooting. If you have a firm grasp of the operating system you are not handicapping yourself as much as you think.

Line in the Sand

Recently Breda met an interesting gentleman in a bar, and handled it quite well. Unfortunately, the comments on her post have been exploding.
I left this one:
I had decided when I originally read this post that Breda was in the right and it did not need to be commented on.
However, this does. "Pride goeth before the fall." Am I willing to lose my job, friends and be criminally charged if I happen to defend myself?
ABSOLUTELY! Again, and again, with my dying breath (oops, I mentioned death, please don't verbally berate me). When you strip away all the labels that modern society places upon you, what is left? Your pride, your honor, your personal freedom. These are things worth defending. Draw your line in the sand, as Breda did, and defend it.
This goes back to the argument of where is your line? Also, what are you going to do to defend it? Breda has proved that she will not be pushed around by fancy dressed, pushy assholes. That is where her line is, she was polite and courteous, but she did not allow her line to be crossed.
My pride, or honor, or whatever you want to call it means more than anything. It is worth defending. It's more of doing the right thing, whether it be taking care of your family or defending your personal bubble. If I get fired for doing the right thing, so be it. I was looking for a job when I found this one. If my friends choose not to associate with me, perhaps they weren't true friends. If I have to stand up in court and defend my actions, so be it. I will do so with my head held high and my shoulders square.
I am a sheepdog, I am a warrior, I will fight for a noble cause. I will fight to
defend my family and my honor. I do not suffer fools for long. If you think that just wallking away will solve every problem. That a person intent on doing you harm will just leave you alone. Than you are a fool. A fool that will eventually be a victim.

Situational Awareness

Tonight on Gun Nuts Radio, Call me Ahab will be talking about the combat mindset.

I have done posts before about such matters, however, today I am going to share a story about situational awareness.


Let me start out by saying that I carry a firearm with the old adage in mind, 'It's better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.' I honestly hope that I never, ever have to use it. But I will use it if I have too.


Many moons ago, I had heard of a spat of robberies and muggings in one section of town. I filed the information into my brain and it disappeared into parts unknown. One Sunday afternoon the wife, kids and I went to McDonalds for lunch. We came out of the restaurant(yes, I know, I use the term loosely), I opened the back door for my daughter, opened my door, got in and started the truck. My wife was putting our son in the back seat when a small, brown imported car pulled sideways into the parking spot ahead of us. My radar was on high alert, we were in condition orange and it could turn red in an instant. The male in the passenger seat got out of his vehicle and was walking straight towards my door. I examined my options in a nanosecond. I could not back up, the rear passenger door was open and my wife was standing in it. I could pull forward and push their car out of the way, tempting but the risk to my children was high. I decided to go with the third option. I pulled my pistol and placed it on the seat, I opened my door, stepped out of the vehicle and made eye contact with the man approaching me. He could not see it, but my hand was on my pistol. My body language and eye contact conveyed my point. The point that I was not one to be trifled with. I don't know what went through his mind, but I saw the decision making process in his eyes. When he reached the front of my truck, he immediately made a 90 degree turn and briskly walked away.


I cannot prove that the man in this lesson wanted to do me and mine harm, but I know that he did. What would my next step have been? No, I wasn't going to shoot him outright. That was three steps further down the line. If he had gone two more steps I would have give forceful verbal commands for him to leave my area, than I would have brandished. As for the driver of that vehicle? He was standing beside his door watching all this go down.


Remember the crime problem I mentioned at the beginning of this post? I was in the middle of where it had been happening. Always be aware of where you are at and the things that are going on around you. Look people in the eye and project confidence. The best fight to win is the one that you don't have to get in.

Of Sheep and Wolves....

Last night I had an interesting discussion with a gentleman that felt that the 'Sheep, Wolves, and Sheepdogs' analogy was not accurate and that it's use should be discouraged. He had some compelling points about how the sheepdog was a narrow role that truly is not represented in society. I pondered this overnight and have to disagree.
Quoting Dave Grossman:"Then there are sheepdogs," he went on, "and I'm a sheepdog. I live to protect the flock and confront the wolf." A sheepdogs job is to confront the wolf. That is true for the human sheepdog as well. I have heard many people say, "I'm not a sheepdog, I will only protect my family." I say that they are sheepdogs too, if only for one simple reason, you choose the size of your flock. It doesn't matter that you are unwilling to risk your own health to protect a stranger. If you have the capacity to cause another person bodily harm, and will do so in the defense of your 'flock'(family, friends, co-workers, domestic partner, or even the entire mall on black Friday), you are a sheepdog.
Nobody is asking you to be John McClain, you don't have to be willing to hunt down and kill evil doers for the greater good of society. Simply be willing to protect your flock.
When I was going thru a prominent law enforcement academy, we were reminded that when off-duty it was better to be a good witness than a hero. This ties in with the law enforcement in India not hunting down the terrorists. Law enforcement is trained primarily to investigate crimes, and only rarely do they have the opportunity to stop them in progress. It's the old 'establish a perimeter and wait for the big boys'. Sometimes you have to man-up and be a big boy. Sometimes you have to be a sheepdog and protect your flock. Sometimes you have to look at the greater good of society and expand your flock.

Tactical mindset

From some other guy:http://www.gunthorp.com/classes_expert_syllabus.htm

WARRIOR MINDSET
What will you do in a crisis? How can you train to survive? I think the warrior mindset may benefit from some kind of epiphany. Mine came as a college student when I was mugged at gunpoint. The horror of the experience helped to open my eyes to the fact that evil cannot be ignored on the physical plane, or for that matter, any other. Like the yin and yang, we all have a balance of the pacifist and warrior within. Depending on the circumstance, there is a time to reap and a time to sow. While keeping a calm vigilance as a pacifist maintaining all options of avoidance and flight, the warrior within each of us needs to be ready in an instant to spring into devastating, aggressive, decisive, no holds barred fight to the finish. Each one of us needs to find the motivation to train and flip that switch without hesitation.

When I read this I thought of how much different training I have received and the mindset that is required to survive a life threatening situation. In my younger days I was always, and I mean always in the warrior mindset(you can thank the Army and my law enforcement training). It was nice, I was always vigilant, always prepared. I had a plan to kill everybody that I saw. I was comfortable with myself. According to my wife, I was also an asshole. Marriage and children have calmed me down considerably. I now only have a plan to kill half of the people that I meet.

This brings me to my actual point. It took many years and some wisdom to discover how to use the mindset to my advantage, and only when I need it. The warrior mindset is the only way(baring luck) that you can win a fight. The easiest fight to win is the one that you can avoid. If you can't avoid the fight you have to be aggressive, you have to fight dirty. You have to plan on going home after the fight is over. If you cower in a corner waiting for the moment to come to you, you are going to lose. You choose your own destiny, you have to make your own moment and take full advantage of it. I'm not saying to be stupid and blindly charge. That will kill you just as fast as waiting in the corner.

Finally, remember that anything is a weapon, and that the weapon does not make the man. Don't ever forget that the your most important weapon is your brain. It will save you when nothing else does. Don't be a sheep, don't be a wolf, be a sheepdog. Trust your instincts, watch your surroundings, be mindful of people who want to cause you and yours harm. After it is all over go home and kiss your significant others and tell them that you love them.